Though they have taken distinct paths to arrive at their common cause as co-chairs of the LIVE UNITED Campaign 2012, Patty Covalli and Sabine Holub share several similarities and complement each other in important ways.

They grew up on opposite sides of the Atlantic, Sabine near Frankfurt, Germany, Patty in nearby Springfield. Even now, they are divided by water, Sabine living in Amherst, Patty in Easthampton, the Connecticut flowing between.

No matter. As they take on their volunteer leadership of the UWHC Community Campaign 2012, the women share the goals and enjoyment of meeting more people and inspiring them to give. They also look forward to becoming more familiar with the UWHC process of re-investing campaign funds back into the community to strengthen its network of Partner Agencies.

“I really embrace the United Way mission,” says Holub. “I can trust them to distribute my money effectively and guide it to where it is most needed. It’s like having my own financial advisor for giving.”

A UWHC board member for three years, Holub, who is married to University of Massachusetts chancellor Robert Holub, also seeks to strengthen UWHC’s connections with the area’s Five Colleges and the greater Amherst community. In her visible roles, at UMass and through several board memberships, Holub has become a seasoned public speaker and welcomes the opportunity to promote the UWHC message and call to give.

Covalli describes herself as a good listener and has been counseling people in that role since childhood. Even now, in her job as manager at the Northampton branch of United Bank, she frequently finds herself providing a helpful ear. “People just come in sometimes and need someone to talk to,” she says. “My staff calls me the ‘town shrink.’”

Covalli, a volunteer for Highland Valley Elder Services, has a long history of helping children and the elderly, her foremost philanthropic interests, and has been a United Way contributor, “for as long as I can remember.”

“When you help people, you get so much back,” she says. “It’s great to know that something I’m doing is giving someone hope. If United Way didn’t exist, where would people turn to?”